The Riverside Board of Education met in regular session Tuesday night.
In his report, Athletic Director Rod Yoder told the board that as the basketball season winds down, spring sports seasons will be starting soon. Yoder said that some teams have already started practicing, but the number of athletes participating will increase once basketball tournaments are over. The spring athletic meeting will be coming up this week.
Kelly Kauffman gave the middle and high school reports. She told the board that ACT and state testing is coming up soon. She also informed the board that she recently attended a meeting that discussed the prevalence of AI in education. There have been isolated incidents where students have submitted work that appears to be AI-generated, and the district will need to begin work on an appropriate policy to handle AI-related issues.
Kauffman also introduced recent hire Alonzo Stotler, a 2019 graduate of Riverside. Stotler, a recent BGSU graduate, is in the process of being hired as a new Intervention Specialist for the Middle School. Stotler said he is eager to get started in his new role.
From the elementary school, principal Bryce Hodge mentioned three new paraprofessionals are in the process of being hired: Jayden Burchett, Baylee VBoltin, and Cheritha Miller. The new hires, all former substitutes at the elementary school, will begin at staggered times to help transition.
Hodge also mentioned the second annual Bridge to Learning Night coming up on March 7th from 5:00 – 6:30. The event is geared toward parents with children from birth to five years of age. Hodge discusses the event:
Hodge noted that the trend he is seeing, not only in the Riverside school district but nationwide, is that when entering preschool, some children lack critical skills and abilities that start them in a deficit. The goal of the program, he said, is to give parents resources to help give their children a head start in their education:
Several Middle School Track coaching positions have been filled, as well as football, volleyball, and golf have been confirmed.
Additionally, the board approved the sponsorship of indoor track, with coach Maelinn Myers acting as coach. This sponsorship allows athletes to participate in the upcoming State Indoor Track meet in early March.
The Riverside School Board will meet again on March 19th at the regular time of 6:00 PM.
